Generally, weight bearing activities (for example, standing, walking, running, etc.) can lead to various types of ailments. For example, commonly known types of foot ailments include plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, which are a common source of pain for many individuals.
According to FIG. 3, the plantar aspect relates to the sole of the foot 303 and the plantar fascia comprises a sheet of fibrous tissue beneath the skin 301 enclosing and separating several layers or groups of fibrous tissue. The plantar fascia 301 tissue supports the arch of the foot, running from the tuberosity of the calcaneus 307 forward to the heads of the metatarsal bones. The plantar fascia 301 contributes to support the arch of the foot when the foot bears weight. The plantar fascia 301 has a dynamic function during gait, elongating during the contact phase of gait, having rapid elongation before and immediately after mid-stance reaching maximum elongation between mid-stance and toe-off. The plantar fascia behaves like a spring during this phase, in addition to contributing to the windlass mechanism during normal mechanical function of the foot. The Windlass Mechanism is the coordinated action of the layers of muscle, tendon, ligament and bony architecture, to maintain arch height and foot rigidity. Without correct windlass function, the foot will not act as an efficient lever, and an effective push off power cannot be achieved.
The term fasciitis refers to a degenerative condition without histological evidence of chronic inflammation. People with plantar fasciitis may notice tenderness in the insertion of the plantar fascia into the calcaneus causing soreness and pressing downward, inward and forward of the inferior calcaneo-navicular ligament 302 (also known as spring ligament) by the weight of the body and the foot. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia 301. Plantar fasciitis can result when the fascia swells and its fibers begin to fray. Other factors, for example etiologic factors can also relate to plantar fasciitis including overuse, increased body weight, hyper-pronation, etc.
The inferior calcaneonavicular ligament 302 (spring ligament) is a ligament on the underside of the foot that connects the calcaneus with the navicular bone, and supports the astragulus, maintaining the arch of the foot when it yields, the head of the astragulus is pressed downward, inward and forward by the weight of the body, causing the foot to become flattened, expanded and turned outward, causing pain to the bottom of the foot. This ligament 302 comprises elastic fiber to give elasticity to the arch and spring to the foot (thus, being known as the spring ligament). The calcaneo-navicular ligament 302 interacts with the medial longitudinal arch of the foot. This ligament 302 is supported on it's undersurface by the tendon of the tibialis posterior, which spreads out at its insertion into a number of fasciculi, which are attached to most of the tarsal and metatarsal bones. This presents undue stretching of the ligament and needs protection against problems such as flat foot, over-pronation, heel spur and foot fatigue.
Pronation is a rotational movement of the foot and refers to how the body distributes weight as it cycles through gait. Pronation depends on the extent to which the arch collapses when the foot goes through a walk/gait cycle. Pronation can also occur while an individual is standing. A foot can have three types of pronation: neutral pronation, underpronation and over-pronation. During over-pronation, an individual may initially strike the ground on the lateral side of the heel and as the individual transfers weight from the heel to the metatarsus, the foot will roll too far towards medial side of the foot, such that the weight is distributed unevenly across the metatarsus, perhaps tracking the knee inward. Over-pronation causes problems because it does not allow the foot to absorb shock efficiently. During over-pronation, the longitudinal medial arch will collapse and the ankle may roll inward as the individual proceeds through the gait cycle. For individuals with over-pronation, keeping the foot appropriately supinated becomes a problem during weight bearing activities, since the foot rolls too far towards the medial longitudinal arch, causing soreness and pain to the soft tissue near the arch as a result of weight bearing activities (in addition to other ailments). Over-pronation flattens the longitudinal medial arch as the foot strikes the ground.
Supination is the opposite of pronation and occurs when the person's weight is supported by the anterior of their feet.
Heel pain can result from various sources, including plantar fasciitis and heel spurs. A heel spur 307 is a bony outgrowth at the base of the heel bone near the plantar fascia 301 that can lead to pain on the bottom of the heel during weight bearing activities. Generally, heel spurs can form in some individuals who have plantar fasciitis, thus leading to pain stemming from plantar fasciitis and the heel spur. However, heel spurs can also occur independently in individuals with no symptoms of plantar fasciitis.
Other ailments that lead to foot pain include flatfoot, Achilles contracture tight heel cord, inflammatory arthopathies, obesity, knee pain, shin splints, Achilles tendonitis, posterior tibial tendonitis, fallen arches, metatarsalgia, low arches, fasciitis, stress fractures, hip pain, back pain, arch fatigue, cavus foot that results in contracture of plantar fascia and plantar soft tissue.
Various treatments and products have been developed to try to address foot pain. These treatments and procedures can be cumbersome, painful, expensive and ineffective for individuals suffering from foot pain. For example, foot pads, arch pads and heel pads developed prior to the embodiments of the present invention tend to be bulky, heavy, annoying and ineffective. Embodiments of the present invention overcome these, and other problems in the prior art.